Bacterium
Clostridioides difficile
Spore-forming anaerobic rod
klos-TRID-ee-OY-deez dih-FIH-sil
High-yield clue
Spore-forming anaerobe + toxin + antibiotic-associated colitis vocabulary.
Overview
A spore-forming anaerobic rod used to teach toxin-mediated colitis vocabulary and disruption of normal flora concepts.
Classification
- Gram-positive
- Rod
- Anaerobe
- Spore-former
Lab & identification clues
- Toxin testing vocabulary
- Spore-forming rod
- Anaerobic growth concept
Associations
- Pseudomembranous colitis vocabulary
- Normal flora disruption
- Infection-control concepts
Commonly confused with
- Clostridium perfringens
- Bacillus species
Your notes
Original student-study summary. Sources checked: OpenStax Microbiology 2e, NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology, and CDC topic pages where applicable; reviewed 2026-06. Educational only; no diagnosis, treatment, dosing, or specimen-handling guidance.